Door latch construction



Nov. 14, 1939. w. R. scHLAGE DOOR LATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 17.,1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TToRNEY.

NOV 14, 1939. w. R. scHLAGE DOOR LATCH CONSTRCTIN Filed Jan. 17, 1938 '2Sheets-Sheet 2 'ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES DOOR LATCHCONSTRUCTION Walter R. Schlage, Palo Alto, Calif., assignor to SchlageLock Company, SanFrancisco, Calif.,- a corporation of CaliforniaApplication January 17, 1938, Serial No. 185,372

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a door latch construction.

The object of the present invention is generally to improve and simplifythe construction and operation of door latch mechanisms; to provide alatch mechanism which-is enclosed in a pair of tubular housings, to wit,a housing containing a latch bolt mechanism and a housing containing alatch bolt actuating mechanism; to provide a housingAv assembly in whichthe latch bolt housing extends through the housing containing the latchbolt actuating mechanism; to provide means for aligning, centering andsecuring the housings against rotation and endwise movement withrelation to each other when assembled; to provide releasable meanscarried by the latch bolt housing for automatically interlocking thehousings when assembled; to provide means actuated by the latch boltmechanism releasing the interlocking means when the housings are to beremoved from the door; to provide means for normally dogging the latchybolt mechanism against releasing the interlocking means and for limitingmovement of the latch bolt beyond normal retracted position;. to provideimplement actuated means for releasing the clogging mechanism; toprovide a single spring for projecting the latch bolt and formaintaining the dog in clogging position; and

` further, to provide a removable spring saddle for retention andsupport of said spring.

The structure forming the door latch is shown by way of illustration inthe accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a horizontal centralsection of the door latch mechanism showing it mounted in a door;

Fig. 2 is a similar section showing a modied form of spindle structure;

Fig. 3 is a, longitudinal section taken at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3; g

Fig. 5 is an end view of the latch bolt housing;

Fig. 6 shows the door latch mechanismmounted in the stile of a hollowmetal door;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the latch bolt housing;

- Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the type of spindle disclosed in Fig.l of the drawings;

Fig. 9 is a perspective View of the housing containing the latch boltactuating mechanism;

Fig. l0 is a perspective View of the closure plate secured on the innerend of the latch bolt housing, said View also lshowing a portion of thespring-actuated latch carried by the closure plate;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the latch bolt and the connectedretractor;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the dog and the plate supporting thesame;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the two housings enclosing thedoor latch mechanism in assembled position;

Fig. 14 and Fig. 15 are perspective views, respectively, of the type ofspindle structure disclosed in Fig. 2 of the drawings;

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a spacing and reinforcing plate usedwhen the door latch mechanism is mounted in the hollow stile of a metaldoor; and

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a portion of a door, showing the holesbored therein for the reception of the door latch mechanism.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Fig. 1 to 3 and7 to 13 inclusive, A and B indicate a pair of housings, one of whichwill hereinafter be referred to as the latch bolt housing, and the otheras the housing containing the latch bolt actuating mechanism. Thehousings are tubular in shape, as clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 9, andthe housing B is provided with two opposed transverse aligned openings 22 to permit the housing A to extend through it, as shown in Figs. 1 and13, when the two housings are assembled. lSimilar openings 3 3 areformed inthe housing A to permit a spindle C to extend through it, andat the same time through the open ends of the housing B. The spindleshould preferably assume a central position with relaf tion to thehousing B, as it is supported in a pair of escutcheon plates 4 4 whichare screwed on opposite ends of the housing B and thus are concentricand central with relation to said housing. To insure proper alignmentand centering of the opening 3 3 with relation to the escutcheon plates,lugs 5 5 are formed on the housing B, which enter slots 6 6 formed inthe end of the housing A. These lugs secure both housings againstrotation with relation to each other, and at the same time secure andlimit the movement of housing A in an inward direction. Outward movementand removal of housing A from the housing B, when they are assembled, isprevented by a spring actuated latch l (see Fig. l). The latch ispivoted a's at 8 on a closure plate 9 secured to the inner end of thehousing A by bent-over lugs Ill. The latch projects through one of theslots 6, and as such engages the housing B, thereby forming an interlockbetween the housings, which is automatically established when thehousing A is passed through the housing B, said interlock preventingseparation of the housings when assembled. This interlock is, however,releasable under certain conditions, through means of the latch bolt andretractor, or by ilnger pressure, as will hereinafter be described.

The latch bolt proper is indicated at D. It is `guided and supported inthe outer end oi the latch bolt housingby a guide plate or bushing suchas shown at II. The inner end of the latch bolt is slotted to receive aAplate I2 to which it is secured by riveting or other suitable means.This plate is cut out to form a pair of rearwardly extending arms I3-I3,and said arms are connected at their inner ends by a crossbar I4 whichwill hereinafter be referred to as the retractor bar. The arms areprovided with projecting lugs I5-I 5 which extend into slots IS-IBformed in the latch bolt housing. These lugs guide the retractor bar I4,and as this is connected to the latch bolt by means of the arms I3, theentire latch bolt unit and retracting mechanism is amply supported andguided.

` The spindle C which is shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 8 is a single rigidtubular member, at the cen- -ter of which is formed a cross-slot Ita anda rollback member I1. 'Ihe retractor bar extends through the slot Itaand as such secures the spindle against endwise movement when inserted;also it engages therollback member I1, and as such will be f orcedrearwardly whenever the spindle is rotated by means of the knobsindicated at I8 and I9. By referring to Figs. 1, 3 and '7, it will benoted that thelatch bolt housing is provided with opposedtransversesslots 28 and that a crossbar 2l extends through such slotsand is supported thereby. This crossbar is in realty a spring saddle orsupport, having a width slightly greater than the diameter of the springshown at 22. 'The center portion of the bar is raised to form a seat forthe spring, and the ends of the bar are offset as shown at 23 to formshoulders to secure the bar against transverse movement when inserted inthe latch bolt housing. This bar is releasable and removable by merelypressing it against the spring and then' pulling it out of one oranother of the slots 20. It is similarly inserted through these slots,and when inserted is held in position by the shoulders 23 and by thepressure of the spring. This spring serves two functions: ilrst, that ofnormally maintaining the latch bolt D in extended or projected position,as it engages the inner end of said latch bolt; and second, that ofactuating a clogging mechanism which limits inward movement oi the latchbolt.

The dogging mechanism comprising a plate with the shape shown in Fig.12. The center portion of it has a spring seat to retain the spring 22;that is, the plate is interposed between the spring and the inner end ofthe latch bolt, and it is for this reason that a spring seat is formedthereon. One end of the plate is provided with a hook-like member 25which is hooked over .one of the arms I3 of the retractor, a cross-slot26 being formed in one of the arms for the reception of the hook. Theopposite side of the plate is provided with a lug or dog 21, and thisprojects through a slot 28 formed in the outer end of the latch bolthousing. Normally, the plate having the hook and dog formed thereon willassume the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3. In this position itlimits inward movement of the latch bolt, as the length of the slot 28is such that the latch bolt may only be retracted or moved to normalretracted position either by means of the rollback member or by pressureon the outer end oi the latch bolt. Under certain conditions, it isnecessary to depress the latch bolt beyond its normal retractedposition, for instance to permit insertion or removal of the spindle Cand also to release or unlatch the latch member 1, as will hereinafterbe described.

If the latch mechanism is to be assembled in a door, it is rst necessaryto drill or bore two holes therein, one edgewise through the door, as

indicated at 35, to receive the latch bolt housing,

and one transversely through' the door as indicated at 36, to receivethe housing containing the latch bolt actuating mechanism. After this isdone, housing B is inserted in the opening 38, with the opening 22, inalignment with the bored holes 35` The latch bolt housing containing thelatch bolt, the retractor, the clogging mechanism, the spring 22, theclosure plate 9 and the latch 1, is then inserted through the opening35, and as it is pushed inwardly it will pass through the openings 2-2of the housing B, and its inward movement will finally be limited whenthe lugs 5 enter the slots 8 6 and bottom therein. At this point,openings 3-3 in the latch bolt housing will assume a central positionwithin the housing B, and the latch 1 will at the same time swinginwardly and engage the housing B, thereby interlocking the twohousings. It will next be necessary to insert the spindle C, but thiscan not be done until the dog 21 is withdrawn or swung out of the slot28 so as to permit depression of the latch bolt and retractor beyondtheir normal retracted position. That is, the inner face I 4a of theretractor bar must be moved to a point where it clears the circuit shownat I4b in Fig. 3. As this circle represents`the exterior diameter of thespindle C, it is only when this circle or point is cleared that it ispossible to insert the spindle. To withdraw the dog from the slot 28, animplement in the form of a pin or the like is inserted therethrough andpushed inwardly, through a hole 39 formed in the latch bolt guidingplate. When the pin is inserted therethrough and pushed inwardly, itwill engage the plate carrying the dog, and will move it to the dottedline position shown at 28a in Fig. 3. When this position is assumed, itis possible to depress the latch bolt and to move it beyond its normalretracted position or beyond the point where it will clear the circleI4b, and thereby permit endwise insertion of the spindle. The spindle,when inserted, is pushed inwardly until the slot Ilia is aligned withthe retractor bar I4, and when this alignment is attained the latch boltmay be released and the retractor bar I4 will then enter the slot andmove into engagement with the rollback member I1. The escutcheon platesindicated at 4--4 may now be applied to opposite ends of the housing Band screwed up suillciently tight to engage the opposite faces of thedoor and thereby rigidly secure the door latch mechanism and therespective housings therein. Thereafter the knobs are applied, and whenthis is done the installation is completed.

If at any time it becomes necessary to remove the door latch mechanismas a whole from the door, the knobs will rst be removed, then theescutcheon plates 4 4, and then the spindle, the removal of l.thespindle being accomplished as previously described, by inserting a pinin the opening 39 so as to tilt the plate carrying the dog 28 into theposition shown at 28a in Fig. 3,

such ltilting being possible as the hook-2l forms a hinge or pivot forthe plate. When the dog is withdrawn,.the latch bolt and retractor areforced inwardlya suilicient distance to permit endwise removal of thespindle. Thereafter the latch bolt and retractor are forced inwardlystill farther, and when that is done, the innermost face llc of theretractor plate will engage the arm la of the latchand thereby rock thelatch about its pivot 8 in a direction to release the latch withrelation to the housing B. When the latch is released, the latch bolthousing is pulled outwardly and as such may be completely removed.

The door latch mechanism shown in Figs. 1 to 5 is mounted in a woodendoor. The construction, however, is not limited to installation inWooden doors, as it may be mounted in metal doors having hollow stiles,such as shown in Fig. 6. The only advisable addition to the mechanism inan installation of that character is the provision of a spacing andreinforcing plate such as shown at l0 (see Figs. 6 and 16). This plateis merely slipped over the inner end of the latch bolt housing when itis inserted in the `hollow stile. The plate is thus supported bythelatch bolt housing, and as it has a width equal to the spacing betweenthe inner faces of the hollow metal stile, it will prevent said facesfrom being pressed together or buckled when the escutcheon plates arescrewed up tight on the opposite ends of the housing B. 'Ih'ev entiremechanism shown is extremely simple and substantial in construction.When the mechanism is installed in a door, the latch -1 secures thehousing Aagainst removal. The housing B is obviously secured againstendwise removal, as housing A extends through it. The escutcheon platesemployed have a threaded connection with the outer ends of the housingB, and thus eliminate all screws, bolts or other fastening means, and atthe same time permit the housing B to be properly centered transverse ofthe door, and to be rigidly secured against play, rattle or release. Aone-piece spindle may be employed, as shownA in Figs. l and 8, or twoseparately and independently operated spindles may be employed, as shownin Figs. 2, l5 and 14. These spindles telescope with relation to eachother,

and they are cross-slotted as shown at 50 and 5I. These cross-slotsalign yWhen the spindles are telescoped with relation to each other, andthey also align with the retractor bar, so as to be secured by the sameagainst endwise removal. Where independently actuated spindles areemployed, .as shown in Fig. 2, the knobs may be permanently secured tothe spindles, but where a single spindle is employed, as shown in Fig.1, one knob may be permanently secured, as shown at B0, while the otherknob must be releasable so as to permit endwise removal of the spindlewhen the mechanism as a whole is to be removed from the door. Where oneof the knobs is removable, a spring-actuated latching mechanism such asshown at Sl may be employed.

While certain features of my invention have beenmore or lessspecifically described and illustrated, I nevertheless wish itunderstood that changes may be resorted to withinthe scope of theappended claims, and that the materials and iinish employed may be suchas the manufacturer desires or the uses and conditions demand.

' Having thus described and illustrated 'my invention, what I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a lock of the character described a latch bolt housing and ahousing enclosing a latch bolt actuating mechanism. a resilientlymounted member interlocking the housings, and means actuated by a latchbolt in the latch vbolt housing for releasing the interlocking member.

2. In a lock of the character described a latch bolt housing, a latchbolt mounted therein, a

latch boit actuating mechanism, a housing therefor, means forinterlocking the-two housings, and means actuated by depression oi thelatch bolt beyondits normal retracted position for releasing theinterlocking means.

3. In a lock of the character described a latc bolt housing and ahousing enclosing a latch bolt actuating mechanism, said housings beingdisposed at right angles to each other and one extending..through theother, and a yieldable member carried by the latch bolt housing, saidyieldable member automatically interlocking the housings when they areassembled. a

4. In a lockbf the character described a latch bolt housing and ahousing enclosing a latch bolt actuating mechanism, said housings beingdisposed at right angles to each other and one extending through theother, a yieldable member carried by the latch bolt housing, saidyieldable member automatically interlocking the housings when they areassembled, and. a sliding element carried by the latch bolt housing andengageable with the yielding member to release the interlock.

5. In a lock of the character described a latch bolt housing and Aahousing enclosing alatch bolt actuating mechanism, said housings beingdisposed at right angles to each other and one extending through theother, a yieldable member carried by the latch bolt housing, saidyieldable member automatically interlocking the h ousings when they areassembled, a latch bolt ,in the latch bolt housing, and means actuatedby depression of the latch bolt beyond its normal depressed 4 positionfor releasing the yieldable interlocking member.

6. In a lock ot the character described a latch bolt housing and ahousing enclosing a latch bolt actuating mechanism, said housings beingdisposed at right angles to each other and one extending through theother, a yieldable member carried by the latch bolt housing, saidyieldable member automatically interlocking the housings when they areassembled, a latch bolt in the latch bolt housing, means limitingdepression on -the latch bolt beyond a normal retracted position, meansfor releasing said limiting means to permit depression of the latch boltbeyond its normal retracted position, and means actuated by the latchbolt when depressed beyond its normal retracted position for releasingthe vyieldable interlocking member.

7. A door latchmechanism comprising a tubular latch bolt housing, asecond tubular housing through which the latch bolt housing extends,said latch bolt housing having a pair of opposed slots formed in itsinner end, and a pair of lugs on the second housing entering said slotsand securing the latch bolt housing against rotation and against endwisemovement in one 'direction with relation to the second named housing.

8. A door latch mechanism comprising a tubular latch bolt housing, asecond tubular. housing through which the latch bolt housing extends,said latch bolt housing having a pair of opposed slots formed in itsinner end, a pair of lugs on the second housing entering said slots andsecuring the latch bolt housing against rotation and against endwisemovement in one direction with relation to the second named housing, andother means securing the latch bolt housing against endwise` movement inthe other direction with relation to the second named housing.

9. A door latch mechanism comprising a tubular latch bolt housing, asecond tubular housing through which the latch bolt housing extends.said latch bolt' housing having a pair of opposed slots formed in itsinner end, .a pair of lugs on the second housing entering said slots andsecuring the latch bolt housing against rotation and against endwisemovement in one direction with relation to the second named housing,other means securing the latch bolt housing against endwise movement inthe other direction with relation to the second named housing, a secondpair of opposed slots formed in the latch bolt housing, and a retractorbar slidably mounted in the latch bolt housing and guided by said slots.

10. In a door latch mechanism of the character described, a latch bolthousing, a latch bolt slidably mounted therein, a dog movable in unisonwith the latch bolt and limiting the movement of the latch bolt to anormal retracted position, said dog being depressible to render the doginoperative so as to permit movement of the latch bolt beyond normaldepressed position, and a common spring for projecting the latch boltand for normally maintaining the dog in operative position.

11. In a door latch mechanism of the .character described a latch bolthousing, a retractor and connected latch bolt slidably mounted in thehousing, a plate pivoted on the retractor, a dog on the plate oppositethe pivoted point, said dog normally projecting through a slot formed inthe latch bolt housing and limiting sliding movement of the retractorand latch bolt to a normal retracted position, said plate adapted to beswung about its pivot to wihdraw the dog from the slot so as to permitmovement if the retractor and latch bolt beyond normal retractedposition, and a common spring for maintaining the dog in normalprojected position and for projecting the latch bolt.

WALTER. R. SCHLAGE.

